ARCADIA, CA -- The California Horse Racing Board conducted its regular meeting Friday, January 15, at Santa Anita Park. Chairman John Harris presided. Vice Chairman David Israel and Commissioners Bo Derek, Keith Brackpool, Jesse Choper, Jerry Moss, and Richard Rosenberg were in attendance. During the meeting:

• California racing commissioners unanimously elected Keith Brackpool their new chairman and elected David Israel vice chairman for 2010. Outgoing Chairman John Harris said he was not seeking reelection and, in fact, intends to resign from the Board sometime in the next few months in order to devote more time to his business — Harris Ranch — and in waging what he described as a "major water battle" in the San Joaquin Valley and other parts of California. He said he has pressing commitments as chair of the Pacific Legal Foundation, an advocacy group protecting property rights as well as other Constitutional freedoms. He was first appointed to the CHRB by Governor Gray Davis on November 9, 2000, reappointed by Governor Davis in 2003, and most recently reappointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to a term that expires September 26, 2011.

Lameness in the horse is a situation that we, as horse owners, will at some point have to face. Diagnosing that lameness is often harder than treating the condition. Pose your questions for this month's expert, Omar Maher, DV, DACVS from the New England Equine Medical and Surgical Center, regarding the topic of advanced technologies in lameness diagnosis.